DNT 111919

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TUESDAY November 19, 2019

S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 7 9 • W W W. T R I P L I C A T E . C O M

Crabbing season delay causes instability R

By Jessica Goddard Staff Writer

andy Smith stood on the harbor sidewalk talking with a group of fellow fishermen, their large commercial fishing boats - piled high with empty crab traps - swaying at the docks. They had hoped to be fishing by now, but instead are left deciding where to go. Smith’s crew of five had planned to fish in their home waters during the holidays, but with the crabbing season delayed, they’re preparing for two months down south in his boat, the Mistasea. The commercial Dungeness crab season on the northern California coast,

originally scheduled to begin Dec. 1, has been delayed due to poor-quality crab conditions. It will tentatively open Dec. 16, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). “My crew, instead of waiting until Dec. 15 here, they’re glad we’re leaving. We’ll go start wherever we can earlier,” Smith said. The northern California coast’s crab season, in an area that includes Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, is delayed because the crabs’ meat has not met the required percentage. Crabs in all three districts must meet assorted regulations for the season to open, according to Christy Juhasz, a CDFW environmental scientist.

With the Tri-State protocol, which applies to the northern California coast, Oregon and Washington, quality tests are conducted every two weeks. Based on the results, the season can be delayed in 15-day increments, said Juhasz. If the crab do not meet the requirements in their next upcoming test, the season will be delayed another 15 days. The season start date is determined by a number of different factors. CDFW researchers and scientists look at the percentage of meat growth on the crab shell, as the crabs have to grow More Crab on Page A3

Randy Smith and his crew will take his boat, the Mistasea, to the Bay Area for the start of crabbing season. Photo by Jessica Goddard.

THEY’RE DOG-NAPPED!

(A TRUCK WAS TAKEN, TOO.) By Linda Pinkham Staff Writer

G

ary Maschmeyer of Brookings decided to go birding on the loop trail around Lola Lake in the Pistol River area at 8:50 a.m. Nov. 8. “It was foggy and cold, and my two chihuahuas, Billy and Bella, didn’t want to go with me,” Maschmeyer said. “So, I left them in my truck.” When he returned at 10:30 a.m., his tan 1998 Mazda truck - and the dogs - were gone. “I called 911 from my cell phone and reported that my truck had been stolen, with the two dogs.” Three deputy sheriffs and two state troopers responded to the call. One of the troopers gave Maschmeyer a ride home.

“He told me that all law enforcement agencies in Coos, Curry and Del Norte counties had been notified and that if they found my truck or the dogs, they would call me.” Meanwhile, Maschmeyer’s daughter, Cassie, who lives out of state, posted pictures of the two dogs and her dad’s pickup on social media. “My dad’s 1998 Mazda was stolen at Pistol River along Hwy. 101 today at 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.,” she said. “Along with his 2 dogs. We really only care about the dogs. “If they pushed the dogs out, this bed and More Dogs on Page A2

Water district’s new tank above Hiouchi provides regional solution

Del Norte murder case proceeding to its next hearing

By David Hayes Staff Writer

T

he Big Rock Community Services District has the responsibility of providing services to a broad area. So outgoing board president Craig Bradford is proud to leave those services in good hands, after overseeing a $4.2-million project to upgrade the district’s storage and communications. “Craig was able to convince the board to invest in this and hopefully get compensated back for some of it,” said Big Rock director Mike Finley. “If not, the board did a great

By Jessica Goddard Staff Writer

J

ohn B. Swinger, 49, is scheduled to appear for a readiness hearing in Del Norte Superior Court on Dec. 2, and a preliminary hearing Dec. 3 at 9 a.m., facing charges for assault with a deadly weapon and the murder of Louis C. Martin. Law enforcement officials said Swinger called the Del More Murder on Page A4

Bella (left) and Billy are back home in their bed after their big adventure. Photo courtesy Gary Maschmeyer.

John Swinger

County vs. the cyberattacks I

By David Hayes Staff Writer

t’s been a couple of years since Del Norte County’s computer systems wetre targeted by cyberattacks. Luckily, the county’s data was backed up on separate file servers and nothing was lost. But that doesn’t mean the threat doesn’t remain. District 5 County Su-

pervisor Bob Berkowitz had heard of recent attacks elsewhere, so he asked Dan McCorkle, the county’s information technology director, to update the board of supervisors Nov. 12 on the state of the county’s cyber security. McCorkle reported that ransomware attacks have hit at least 170 county, city or state governmental systems

INDEX Crosswords................................................ A3 Crossword Answers ....................................B4 Calendar.....................................................B1 Classifieds...................................................B2

since 2013, and that 22 of those attacks occurred in the first half of 2019. McCorkle said ransomware encrypts the data on computers or servers, then holds them ransom. “You can’t unlock it or decrypt it unless you pay the ransomer money. Like through bitcoin. More Cyber on Page A3

thing of authorizing the money ahead of time.” The Big Rock district provides water service to the unincorporated community of Hiouchi, about 10 miles northeast of Crescent City on U.S. Highway 199. The community is nestled within the Six Rivers National Forest and the Smith River National Recreation Area. The Big Rock district covers about 520 acres with the annexation of the Hiouchi Flat area of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and the boundary of the Redwood National Park Hiouchi Information/Visitor Center. At the center of the district’s services was an old, redwood, 100,000-gallon water tank that had been on a hill above Hiouchi since 1970. Bradford said the lifecycle on every kind of tank is about 50 years. Theirs was leaking a bit. So, Bradford contacted the world’s largest engineering firm, GHD Inc., which just happened to have its West Coast headquarters in Eureka. “I got the head engineer up here. I asked him, ‘What can you tell me about this?’” Bradford said, pointing More Tower on Page A2

FORECAST TODAY

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WEDNESDAY

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Big Rock Community Services District director Mike Finley and transition coordinator Craig Bradford proudly stand at the base of a newly installed water tank above the town of Hiouchi. Photo by David Hayes.

TIDES THURSDAY

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